Microsoft Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet – review

Full fetched windows 8 Pro tablet, Surface Pro features better display, compatibility with all windows software and faster processor.

Microsoft Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet has finally arrived. With Windows 8 launch Microsoft released their Surface Windows RT tablet, which has been selling only moderately, failing to convince people of the true connection between tablet and PC. Primary reason for this is probably because Windows RT is not compatible with full legacy windows software and therefore cannot be used as a work horse.

Sufrace Windows 8 Pro is Microsoft’s flagship tablet featuring full fetched Windows 8 Pro OS running all Windows applications. According to Forester survey of almost 10,000 IT workers, Microsoft Surface Pro tablet is preferred device at work. Some 87 percent of notebooks run Windows OS and 92 percent of desktop PCs, so if one is to BYOD (bring your own device) to work place, then Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet may be a good desktop replacement option.

Design-wise, Surface Pro looks much like Surface RT, only thicker and heavier. Surface Pro is 13.5mm (0.53 inch) thick, and weighs full 907 grams (32.00 oz, or 2 pounds). Granted, we have a 1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Intel HD Graphics 4000 and 4GB of RAM under the hood. Intel is known to heat things up and two fans and open grid keeping it cool also take some space.

Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet features 10.6-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and 208 ppi pixel density (iPad has 264 ppi, while Surface RT only 148 ppi). Surface Pro easily connects to larger monitor via Mini DisplayPort (for both HDMI and VGA) so one does not have to squint their eyes working multiple windows on a small screen.

Surface Pro tablet comes with a pen. It is not an active pen, it merely just interacts with the screen. It attaches to the side of the tablet on a magnetic power port. Wacom made pen comes in handy for personal notes and sketching, but it’s real strength is in 1024 sensitivity levels which really show when painting using say Fresh Paint app. Nice touch is a “palm rejection” technology, which ensures that your palm resting on a touch screen will not be mistaken for a stylus stroke.

Windows 8 supports this pen on only these three apps: OneNote, Fresh Paint, and Autodesk SketchBook Express. How long it would take to add additional apps for people that may like this kind of feature is unknown. It seems to me, that Microsoft did not design this tablet for play or for artistic wizards, but rather for office environment and only occasional note taking. For people that enjoy drawing and painting, photo editing and sketching on a more serious level, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and its support for digitizing S Pen, is a much better choice.

The actual pen is made of plastic and it feels cheap. Given that you just dished out a thousand bucks for a tablet, this pen doesn’t really look like an added value. The stylus should scream of premium feel to reaffirm your purchasing decision. If I weren’t convinced of taking this tablet PC home, well… then this pen is not going to sway me. Also, when attached, pen is still exposed to easy prying it loose. I would feel much more comfortable knowing the pen is safely hidden from accidental disconnection and inevitable loss. Replacement of this cheap pen will set you back by $30.

Another major drawback with Surface Pro tablet is of course its 42wh battery. Microsoft advertises 4 hours on a charge, while many tablets today use 10 hour batteries. Intel is working to improve its efficiency, but until less power hungry processors are available to suite a tablet of this sort, perhaps a dock with extra battery should be included. If you need to purchase a replacement or extra battery, there is a wide range available at A1 Battery Pro.

Another complaint will surely be the storage. Microsoft offers a 64GB model which flat out misleads people, since only 23GB (or 36 percent) will actually be usable. Windows 8 takes about 41GB of space. Mind you, microSD, SkyDrive, and Office 365 can all be used to store data online as well. Another thing you can do is copying recovery partition from your Windows 8 and storing it via USB 3.0 externally. Then deleting the recovery partition on your SSD. I am not sure just how much space you’ll save, but it should be worth a try.

READ: Office 365 vs Office 2013!

64GB model of Surface Pro tablet costs $899 before taxes and this does not include keyboard or decent storage. Opt in on 128GB of SSD and a keyboard and the price jumps to $1129 before taxes. Chip in $70 more and you’ve got MacBook Air!

So, will Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet replace your main PC? Depends. If you’re a power-user, I’d say don’t throw your desktop into the attic just yet. For many though, Surface Pro will do all desktop does and with good portability.

READ: Microsoft Surface Pro vs iPad with Retina

Surface Pro can fit in any bag, do all you’d need it to do as is, or hooked up to a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse. Microsoft sells Touch cover keyboard for $120 and type cover keyboard for $130 and they’re both perfectly fine to type on, given your preferences. I think keyboard should be included in the tablet’s price to compete better, but that is just my personal opinion. Microsoft, much like Apple, is known to charge premium for their products.

READ Tablet’s profit margins

Windows 8 had a slow getting-going in the post launch months, but indications are that things are picking up for Microsoft.

Read Windows 8 vs Windows RT! Don’t miss our full Windows 8 review!

Windows 8 licences are selling (60 million sold since October 2012) and in the workspace it seems that Windows is the preferred OS. In terms of penetration to Windows users, Windows 8 is equivalent to Windows 7′s success.

In conclusion, Microsoft Surface Windows 8 Pro tablet is a mixed bag, but not at all a bad purchase. For office environment, daily workload and portability, Surface Pro is an excellent tablet PC. It may lack selection of decent apps in Windows Store, but it is like other Windows 8 notebooks compatible with essential legacy windows 8 apps. It sports a powerful Intel processor capable of handling multitasking necessary for office work. Display has a decent resolution, keyboard allows for a comfortable typing and when attached to monitor or other peripherals, it can be used as a commendable desktop replacement. By itself however, 10.1-inch screen may be too small for an extensive and comfortable use. Surface Pro is without a doubt a better product than Surface RT, given much better screen, cpu and compatibility with Microsoft’s biggest trump card, Windows 8 applications. The cost may be questioned by some, as for thousand dollars your choice of Windows 8 ultrabooks, traditional notebooks and convertible tablet PCs is extensive. We’ll be comparing Microsoft Surface pro tablet with Lenovo Yoga 13 or other Lenovo Windows 8 devices, HP Spectre XT TouchSmart ultrabook, Samsung Ativ Tab Smart PC, or Acer Iconia W700.

Microsoft Surface Pro tablet goes on sale today.

Also keep an eye on upcoming Lenovo Helix windows 8 ultrabook.

Here are all the Surface Windows 8 Pro specs:

iFixit popular repair did a Surface Pro tear down and found a superb LG made battery rated for 7.4 volts of current. This is about twice as good a battery than iPad with Retina has. Yet, Surface Pro lasts only about 4 hours.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Surface and Surface RT price update
2. Surface Tablet Issues with Apps and Windows RT
3. Microsoft Surface – Botched Launch
4. Microsoft Surface Tablet – Stunning
5. Microsoft Surface Pro Release on Feb 9th

Related words : Microsoft Surface Pro, tablet, windows 8

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